Local and naval history buffs will soon have the chance to take a step back in history.
To commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the worst naval disaster in San Diego history ” the USS Bennington tragedy ” the San Diego Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) will re-create the original burial ceremony on Saturday, July 21, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.
Dressed in the uniforms of President Washington’s army, SAR members will re-enact the actual funeral for those killed during a boiler room explosion ” an accident that killed or injured more than half the Bennington’s crew on July 21, 1905.
“The narration and re-enactment of the funeral are primarily based on an article in the San Diego History Journal from 1976 and research done by Karen Scanlon and Mary Ellen Cortellini,” said Philip Hinshaw, secretary of the San Diego Chapter of the SAR.
The USS Bennington was a naval gunship, named after the Revolutionary War site in Bennington, Vt.
Arnie Fallon, president of the Vermont SAR will attend Saturday’s ceremony.
The explosion of the 1,700-ton gunboat brought the city of San Diego to a virtual halt for several days afterward, with all energy focused on the rescue of the survivors and the care and treatment of those rescued.
The re-enactment of the memorial service will take place at the Fort Rosecrans at 10 a.m. and will last for about an hour, according to organizers.
In addition to the SAR, there will be a bagpiper, the color guard units from the Navy and the Coast Guard and members of the SAR Ladies Auxilliary, who will be somberly clothed in black as the “mothers in mourning for their sons.”
“It is the second time we have done this and it should be a very interesting performance,” Hinshaw said.
For information, call (619) 448-8858, or (619) 448-4814.